Explore the beauty of the American West through art. Each week, we will create different colors of watercolor paints using techniques that date back to prehistory. Along the way, we will explore topics that have impacted the past, present, and/or future of the West. Topics will include geology, Ancestral Puebloan art and architecture, mining, homesteading, agriculture, water law, the growth of cities, and much more. Each class will focus on different colors, offering various suggestions for subjects to paint using those hues.
Session 1: Red: Learn about the geology and environment of the American West, and what makes it so colorful and unique. Experiment with charcoal drawings, then start your watercolor palette with reds and siennas.
Session 2: Orange: Explore the ancient artists of the American West, including petroglyphs, pictographs, the architecture at Mesa Verde, and the colorful collections and technologies at Chaco Canyon. Additionally, learn about the earliest European explorers to the West, their maps, and impacts on the ecosystems. Add some orange hues to your watercolor palette.
Session 3: Yellow and Gold: Learn about the impacts of mining and the Gold Rush on the American West, and the waves of migration that followed. Add burnt umber, yellow ochre and gold mica to your watercolor palette.
Session 4: Green: Learn about agriculture in the West, as well as the challenges of homesteading in the west. This session will include a collaborative, multimedia artwork honoring an antique farm map. Discuss the radioactive history of the American west. Add terre verte and another green hue (not radium!) to your watercolor palette.
Session 5: Turquoise and Blue: Learn about the water history of the West, including dams, diversions, and wells. Learn about the fascinating roots of our water laws, and their impacts on the West today. Add ultramarine blue and phthalo blues to your watercolor palette.
Session 6: Violet: Examine the West as it is changing today, including the short film, "Glen Canyon Rising." Add ultramarine violet to your watercolor palette
Watercolor palette (portable with at least 12 pans is recommended)
Watercolor or Multimedia Sketchbook
Photographs from the American West and/or digital device to look up photographs
All other supplies will be provided.
